I've been making this argument in a number of places over the last few months.
The feedback I've had is generally always positive, but it doesn't seem to raise sufficient controversy to be widely taken up, hence this post.
Basically I think it's a reasonable, common sense sort of set of definitions that could be useful in defusing various tensions within the community. Thus....
Trans - describes someone for whom transition from their assigned birth gender is an important part of their life. It could be a non binary one and it could be something hoped for in the future, experienced at present or happened in the past, but it should involve a transition that would be socially visible to the extent that you no longer fit within your assigned at birth category.
Trans* - describes someone who doesn't fit in the trans category, but nevertheless in one way or another is, in terms of identity or expression, transgressive of gender norms.
Transgender - is the combination of the two.
Adopting these definitions seems to satisfy the utility of dividing a group with potentially significant medical needs from others. It also gets away from notions of dysphoria, wrong body etc relating to interior events and moves more towards performative measures, but not via surgery, hormones etc which are equally problematic. And it cuts out many of the objections to cis as a word since even the most radical of Terfs are hardly going to assert that they transition.
All in all it seems simpler than present arrangements.
Feedback welcome.
The feedback I've had is generally always positive, but it doesn't seem to raise sufficient controversy to be widely taken up, hence this post.
Basically I think it's a reasonable, common sense sort of set of definitions that could be useful in defusing various tensions within the community. Thus....
Trans - describes someone for whom transition from their assigned birth gender is an important part of their life. It could be a non binary one and it could be something hoped for in the future, experienced at present or happened in the past, but it should involve a transition that would be socially visible to the extent that you no longer fit within your assigned at birth category.
Trans* - describes someone who doesn't fit in the trans category, but nevertheless in one way or another is, in terms of identity or expression, transgressive of gender norms.
Transgender - is the combination of the two.
Adopting these definitions seems to satisfy the utility of dividing a group with potentially significant medical needs from others. It also gets away from notions of dysphoria, wrong body etc relating to interior events and moves more towards performative measures, but not via surgery, hormones etc which are equally problematic. And it cuts out many of the objections to cis as a word since even the most radical of Terfs are hardly going to assert that they transition.
All in all it seems simpler than present arrangements.
Feedback welcome.
